From its North Sea outlets in Rotterdam and Amsterdam to its
source 1,320 kilometers away in the Swiss Alps the River Rhine has railways for
company. This one-hour program follows the great waterway and shows
the Dutch, German, French, Austrian and Swiss railways which cross it and run along
its banks. There’s interesting traffic on the river itself, of course, and the
scenery is magnificent. In the central Rhine area from Köln to Mainz, the deep river runs through a narrow valley strewn with
medieval fortresses. Freight trains thunder along the east bank and Eurocity,
Intercity and local passenger trains lean to the sharp curves of the west bank.

It’s possible to
board the Eurocity Rembrandt in Amsterdam and travel virtually the whle length
of the river to Chur in Switzerland. From there to Disentis, near the source of
the river, it’s just a 60 minute journey in a narrow gauge train of the Rhätische
Bahn. This program takes a more diverse method of travel. Significant places
of interest are visited along the way and the great variety of trains which
come into contact with the Rhine – from the fireless steam locomotives of a
power station to the great international expresses - are shown in detail.